Indian weightlifters have secured four gold medals at the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships and the Universal Cup (Senior) in Apia, Samoa.
Indian weightlifters have achieved significant success at the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships and the Universal Cup in Apia, Samoa, winning four gold medals.
Indian weightlifters are set to compete in the Asian Championships, aiming to leverage home advantage and gain momentum for the upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games.
Indian weightlifting once again revolved around the enduring brilliance of Mirabai Chanu, whose World Championships silver was the single biggest achievement for the sport in a year marked by doping concerns and senior-level stagnation.
Sahdev Yadav, President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, has been unanimously elected as the head of the South Asian Weightlifting Federation (SAWF). He aims to strengthen cooperation and improve weightlifting standards in the region.
Ajith Narayana secured bronze medals in clean & jerk and overall at the Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships, marking another milestone for Indian weightlifting.
The 2026 Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships, featuring athletes from 30 countries, will be held in Gandhinagar from May 11 to 17. The event serves as a qualifier for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The 2026 Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships, featuring participants from approximately 30 nations, commenced in Gandhinagar, highlighting India's growing role in international sports.
Sanjana secured a bronze medal in the women's 77kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar, adding to India's medal tally. She lifted a total of 220kg. China and North Korea secured gold and silver respectively.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is investing nearly Rs 1.95 crore in international exposure and national coaching camps for weightlifters preparing for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
India concluded the Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships in 11th place with 11 medals, while the women's team secured third position in the rankings. China dominated the event, leading both the overall medal tally and the women's team rankings.
At 29, Chanu faced an uphill battle against an injury-ravaged body, sub-optimal preparation, and an intensely competitive field.
Junior Commonwealth gold medallist Sairaj Pardeshi faces a provisional doping ban after testing positive, while alleging a conspiracy to sabotage his career.
Indian weightlifters continued their impressive performance at the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships and Universal Cup, securing a gold and three silver medals in Apia, Samoa.
India's Gyaneshwari Yadav won a silver and a bronze medal in the 53kg category at the 2026 Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar. She secured silver in the snatch and bronze overall with a combined lift of 194kg.
Mirabai Chanu will miss the Asian Championships due to a shoulder injury sustained during the National Championships. Komal Kohar is expected to replace her in the Indian team.
Olympic medallist Gagan Narang and weightlifting great N Kunjarani Devi have been appointed to a five-member search-cum-selection committee for the National Sports Board. Chaired by Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, the committee will recommend names for the Board's Chairperson and Members. The National Sports Board is tasked with recognising National Sports Bodies and ensuring compliance with governance, financial, and ethical standards under the new National Sports Governance Act.
Commonwealth Championships gold medalist Sairaj Pardeshi has been provisionally suspended by NADA after testing positive for a banned substance. The weightlifter alleges a conspiracy to sabotage his career.
India's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has provisionally suspended 24 athletes across various sports, including cricketer Bhupen Lalwani, weightlifter Ajith Narayana, wrestler Sahil Jaglan, and national record holder runner KM Deeksha, for failing dope tests. The suspensions highlight ongoing challenges with doping in Indian sports.
India's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has issued a second three-year suspension to sprinter Shashikesh Kumar for competing while already banned. Several other track and field athletes, weightlifters, and wrestlers have also received bans ranging from one to five years for doping violations.
The Indian Weightlifting Federation was told that its weightlifters can participate in international events provided it pays up a fine of US $50,000.
Claiming to be saddled with faulty equipment from China, the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) on Monday called for a boycott of sports apparatus made in that country after the violent face-off in eastern Ladakh killed 20 Army personnel last week. The IWLF ordered four weightlifting sets, comprising barbells and weight plates, from Chinese company ZKC last year. The body said that the equipment turned out to be faulty and the weightlifters are no longer using them.
'Four adverse analytical findings were reported on the occasion of doping controls carried out on the Indian national team members,' the IWF said.
Three more Indian weightlifters have tested positive for doping, taking the latest positive tests to five, and the national body is now facing another suspension. Male lifters Harbhajan Singh and Rajesh Kumar and female Bijaya Devi were caught in World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) tests at a training camp for the Commonwealth championships.
Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is determined to win a medal at the Asian Games, the only major title missing from her collection. She also spoke about the importance of the Khelo India Tribal Games.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) CEO Raghuram Iyer announced that India will send 125-130 athletes to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, participating in eight able-bodied and four para sports. The IOA is also preparing for the Asian Games and is in talks with the IOC for India's 2036 Olympic bid in Ahmedabad, which is also set to host the 2030 CWG. Iyer clarified that the IOA will not interfere in athlete selection matters.
India have finished as the best-performing nation in the sport in the 1990, 2002, and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's revelations came just a few days after India has been placed at the third spot in worldwide dope violation in 2014 in a report published by World Anti-Doping Agency.
Rohit Rajpal, India's Davis Cup captain, has been appointed as the Chef de Mission for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Chanu has consistently improved in the section to stay in contention for medals at top events.
Mohin Chavan and Manalisha Sonowal grabbed a gold medal each in the 17th Asian Youth (Boys & Girls) and 22nd Junior Women Weightlifting Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday.
India's top women weightlifters are likely to undergo a two-month training for the Athens Olympics in Belarus to enhance the country's medal prospects in the mega event.
Satheesha Rai, stripped of two gold medals and a bronze at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games for using a stimulant, has tested positive for the banned steroid stanozolol.
Apart from Mirabai, the four other Indian lifters were placed in groups C and D, failing to finish even in the top 20 at the Worlds, earlier this month.
Indian weightlifters Sivalingam Sathish Kumar and Saikhom Mirabai Chanu earned the right to compete at the Rio Olympics in men's and women's weight categories respectively after topping the selection trials. Selection trials were held in Patiala to choose one lifter each from men's and women's category across all weight divisions after India had earned two quota places for the Rio Games at Senior Asian Championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan in April. Sathish earned the ticket for Rio after finishing on top among male lifters with a total of 336kg in 77kg weight division. He lifted 151kg in snatch and 185kg in clean & jerk.
National Games gold medallist Jasmine Kaur has been banned for two years after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The NADA's Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel (ADDP) found her guilty of using Terbutaline.
The inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games are set to begin in Chhattisgarh, featuring around 3,800 athletes competing in nine sports. The event aims to boost the state's sports infrastructure and provide exposure to national-level competition.
Teenager Deepak Lather, on Friday, became the youngest Indian weightlifter to claim a Commonwealth Games medal, clinching a bronze in the men's 69kg category.
India's R Vaishali wins the FIDE Women's Candidates 2026 in Cyprus, earning the right to challenge world champion Ju Wenjun and drawing praise for her historic achievement.
India's ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu stated that she has been competing in the 48-49kg category and will need to move to the 53kg category for the 2028 Olympics due to a change in weight classes. She expressed confidence in her ability to participate in the 2028 event.
